Review: A.o.T2 Final Battle (PS4)

When Attack on Titan 2 first released in 2018, I was wildly impressed with the game’s mechanics and story. Told through the eyes of a created character, players were able to relive the events of the anime and witness iconic scenes and battles. Sure, it starts you from the beginning of the story once again, but I felt that the feature of this new character worked well in that aspect.

While the game had its flaws, Omega Force’s return to the to title to present a new story with additional features was the right one to make instead of simply creating a new standalone entry. With Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle, the developer has taken what was already a solid a base and built upon it to deliver one of the most impressive expansions to a single player game that I have played recently in terms of extra content and updates to quality of life features.

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle contains all the game modes that were present in Attack on Titan 2. Meaning, if you haven’t played through the original Attack on Titan 2, well, now you can. During this, players will create a character and be able to play through the events of Season 1 and Season 2 of the anime. Along the way, you’ll be able to interact with characters and experience scenes that were not in the anime, but were approved by the writer for the title so I’m going to say they are canon.

Anyway, we’re mostly here for what is in the Final Battle expansion. During Final Battle, players are able to witness story scenes and battles as they follow the events of Attack on Titan Season 3. This time around, players won’t be able to create a character, but they will be able to choose different characters depending on the stage. Some stages are separated into timelines and they can either be a story event or a battle.

By the end of the story, the developer did a decent job at making sense of Season 3. However, the timeline feature goes a little out of order sometimes which makes it feel like they are rushing events, while later down the line you’ll be able to fill in the gaps by going back and playing through the other timelines. Similarly, some stages can be played through the perspective of different characters, which means you’ll play some stages multiple times. This only became tedious when the stage you are replaying is not really your favorite. With that said, I thought the writing and the voice acting in the game was great, and the added scenes that weren’t in the anime felt natural and easy to follow. As a companion to Season 3 of the anime, the story is definitely for die-hard fans who want the entire story.

Final Battle has a variety of missions to take on, some of which include taking down humans. The improvements made to the 3D Maneuver Gear controls made things a little smoother than I remembered during my first playthrough. Furthermore, the game has more accessible settings for players who simply want to enjoy the game for the story. One option added makes striking a titan easier when it comes to timing. Also important to note is that the new addition of the Thunder Spear and the Gatling Gun made some of the tougher missions a little easier to manage (trust me, you’ll need them).

If you’re going into the game for a challenge, then Final Battle will definitely provide that for you. Managing resources and structures during a battle are absolutely necessary for survival. The Titans are unforgiving and intimidating as they run from all directions with the only desire to kill. Aside from the main mission of the battle, players can take on side-missions that include helping out a teammate, escorting them to an area, and more. Sure, it’s possible to just go straight for the main objective, but each level is graded at the end and valuable resources will be given to players who do more.

However, Final Battle doesn’t only include story content, there is also a new mode called “Territory Mode”. Here, players are able to play through brand new story scenarios where the objective is to build a base, take down Titans, and hang out with old friends. This mode is completely not canon as it features characters who died pretty early on in the series as well as characters unlocked through the story mode, even enemies. Strangely enough, this is perhaps the best content in this expansion based on all there is to do in it.

The base building is sim-like in nature where players are able to use materials to upgrade parts of the base. Additionally, players have control over what their squad does on their off time, how regularly they train, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. The amount of customization that players can dive into in the base building alone can get pretty deep, and I found that I was constantly going out to either collect new enrollees or materials to upgrade areas of the base.

Heading out to explore will present a boardlike map where players can travel to different points and take on missions. These missions usually include taking out a large abnormal titan, but they do vary. Depending on the difficulty, players can expect some tough battles ahead of them, but the rewards make it all feel worth it in the end. What’s also interesting about this mode is how you can literally play as any character you wish and level them up individually. Changing characters also unlocks unique story events that range from overdramatic to comical and I couldn’t seem to get enough it.

Graphically, Final Battle is a beautiful game, but it does have some issues when it comes to Titans appearing out of nowhere or acting strangely when you cut their limbs off. Regardless, I loved the variations of environments and mission structure that made each mission feel fresh. Even without the various environments, the repetition of taking down Titans was never an issue for me because it’s just so damn fun.

Sound design and music in the game are what’d you expect from the series. Each track is intense and hearing Hange screaming through the air as her typical crazy self never got old. The game knows how to set the mood through the music and I found myself easily enjoying every track.

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle has more content than I could have imagined from an expansion. This is a game that rewards players who play the most. It seems that every successful mission unlocks something new in a different mode for constant new things to do. I had a blast playing through Season 3 and experiencing the story as characters who I know so well by now. Returning to Attack on Titan 2 with additional features updates and modes is what makes this a must own for fans.

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle does have some missteps with its timeline not making sense sometimes and replaying story missions didn’t always work out, but in the end, I was immersed in this world and that’s all I could ask for. With the improvements made to the difficulty and added accessibility, players aren’t held back from being a successful titan slaying machine — making this a great title for all fans of the series.